This Week In Shipwrecks #2

This Week in Shipwrecks #2

August 28th, 2026

Hello and Welcome to This Week in Shipwrecks, the weekly maritime news series of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs. I’m your host, Rich Napolitano.

Today, we've got a little bit of everything: a long-lost Royal Navy warship finally found after 118 years, a World War II German speedboat discovered in Greek waters, a mysterious royal treasure ship that may have been located after nearly four centuries, and a devastating modern shipwreck in the Bay of Bengal. And, because apparently shipwrecks needed their own holiday, we also celebrated the very first International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage.

So let's get started.

This first story is from the Jerusalem Post. The wreck of the Altalena, one of the most politically controversial shipwrecks in Israeli history, has reportedly been located in the Mediterranean Sea after disappearing beneath the waves 78 years ago. The ship was found approximately 20 kilometers off Israel's coast at a depth of about 503 meters.

For a bit of background, the “Altalena Affair” was a complicated political and ultimately violent incident in June of 1948, in the midst of the Arab-Israeli War. It involved the right-wing Israeli paramilitary group Irgun (eer-GOON), also referred to as Etzel, who became embroiled in a disagreement with the newly formed Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF. In a secret agreement, the French government donated about $150 million of weapons to support Irgun, to be delivered to Israel on board the Altalena, the former World War II era USS LST-138. Tense negotiations took place between David Ben-Gurion, the head of the provisional Israeli government, and Menachem Begin of the Irgun over military control and authority of these weapons. The Irgun was itself going through an awkward process of being absorbed into the IDF, but ultimately, the two sides could not entirely agree. The IDF demanded the weapons to be handed over to them, and threatened to use force if necessary. On June 22, 1948, the IDF fired on the Altalena. The brief conflict left 16 Irgun members and three Israeli soldiers dead. The Altalena was struck by at least one shell, and it burned and sank offshore of Tel Aviv. The event was one of the most divisive episodes of Israel's early history and put the new nation on the brink of civil war. 

Researchers led by the Marine Mapping Division of the Survey of Israel have now identified the Altalena wreck using underwater survey technology, potentially opening the door to a closer examination of one of the country's most politically sensitive maritime sites. A spokesperson for the IDF said it was not involved in the discovery of the Altalena.

This next one comes from Popular Mechanics. 

Sometimes finding a shipwreck is a matter of luck. Other times it takes more than a decade of research, sonar surveys and a lot of very patient divers.

That was the case with LS 6, a rare German World War II military speedboat discovered about 315 feet beneath the Ionian Sea off Greece. The search began back in 2013, after German naval historian Peter Schenk provided researchers with information about a German Leichte Schnellboote, or light fast boat, believed to have been lost in the area in 1943.

The wreck turned out to be LS 6, a highly unusual vessel designed with an aluminum hull and an aircraft-derived Jumo engine. It was damaged during World War II and subsequently sank while being towed toward Piraeus. Remarkably, much of the boat has survived underwater. The engine and other distinctive features helped researchers positively identify it. The discovery is especially important because LS 6 appears to be the only known surviving example of its class. 

Now for a story that comes with a rather large asterisk.

From National Geographic: The Blessing of Burntisland, a wooden ferry carrying royal possessions belonging to King Charles I, sank in Scotland's Firth of Forth in 1633. According to historical accounts, the vessel was carrying an enormous quantity of royal goods when it went down in a storm. Around 33 of the 35 people aboard reportedly died.

After three decades of searching, the volunteer Burntisland Heritage group believes it has finally located the wreck. The group says it used modern scanning equipment and recovered timber from the site. But maritime archaeologists are urging everyone to slow down a little. National Geographic reports that the evidence currently available does not conclusively prove that the site is the Blessing of Burntisland.

And that distinction is important because the ship supposedly carried a fortune in royal valuables, including gold, silver, jewelry and an elaborate dinner service. In other words, this is exactly the kind of story where “we found it” and “we think we found it” are two very different things. Further investigation and dating of the timber will be needed before the wreck can officially claim its royal identity. 

Not all of this week's shipwreck news involves something that happened hundreds of years ago.

From the AP News: On August 22, 2026, just a few days before this recording, the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner sank in the Bay of Bengal approximately 276 miles off India's Odisha coast. The ship was carrying iron ore and had 24 people aboard, including 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.

Two crew members were rescued after the sinking, but the search for the other 22 has so far produced no survivors. Indian Coast Guard and Navy vessels and aircraft are still actively searching the area, and an emergency beacon and an empty lifeboat have been located. The search has been complicated by the depth of the water and the absence of substantial wreckage at the surface. As of August 25, authorities had still not determined precisely why the ship sank. 

From a days old shipwreck to 900 years ago, this one is from HeritageDaily.com. Researchers investigating a 13th-century cellar in the German city of Constance discovered that its ceiling was constructed from timber taken from an old lake-going cargo vessel. At least 19 hull planks were incorporated into the building, meaning that part of a medieval ship survived for centuries not at the bottom of Lake Constance, but above people's heads in a basement. Researchers believe substantially more of the vessel may have survived and hope the timber can provide new information about medieval shipbuilding on Lake Constance.

I’m guessing medieval shipwrights never imagined their ship could end up in somebody’s wine cellar. 

This week saw a rather historic event for anyone who spends an unreasonable amount of time thinking about things sitting at the bottom of the ocean.

From UNESCO: August 21, 2026 marked the first-ever International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage, established by UNESCO. The new annual observance is intended to raise awareness of the archaeological and historical importance of shipwrecks and other submerged cultural sites.

UNESCO emphasized that underwater heritage isn't simply about finding treasure. Shipwrecks can preserve evidence of trade, technology, migration, warfare and everyday life, often in remarkably good condition. The first celebration included events and educational activities around the world, including a 24-hour online presentation highlighting underwater archaeological projects and shipwreck research.

Meanwhile, over in Lake Michigan, a group of amateur maritime archaeologists is demonstrating that you don't necessarily need a government research vessel or a multimillion-dollar expedition to search for shipwrecks.

From Wisconsin Public Radio, The Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, a group made up largely of volunteers, spent part of this summer searching Lake Michigan for the remains of the schooner Plymouth. The group uses sonar equipment to scan the lakebed and then combines those results with historical research to determine what they're actually looking at.

The organization's members describe themselves as citizen scientists, and they have already had success. In 2025 they helped locate a long-lost shipwreck, and this year's expedition was an attempt to repeat the feat. 

And finally, a story that reminds us that a shipwreck doesn't necessarily stop being useful when it reaches the bottom.

This from Times of India, the USS Macon, the enormous U.S. Navy airship that crashed into the Pacific off California in 1935, has become an artificial reef and habitat for marine life. The 785-foot rigid airship sank tail-first off Point Sur, and its wreck was eventually located decades later.

Researchers examining the wreck have found that rockfish, thornyheads and other marine organisms have made use of the remains. It is a fascinating example of how a wreck can develop a second life underwater. What was once one of the most advanced aircraft in the world has now become new ocean real estate, providing an ecosystem for an abundance of marine life.

So that's our look at the maritime news from the past seven days. As always, the ocean has been busy keeping its secrets. Fortunately, there are still plenty of people willing to go looking for them. You know who you are. And thank you.

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Until next week, keep your eyes on the horizon, your sonar running, cold drinks in the cooler, hot drinks on the stove, and your curiosity pointed toward the bottom. Join me again next Friday, for another haul from the sea.